President Obama the online underdog

“People who are on Obama’s list but aren’t donors are receiving more desperate-sounding emails simply because, well, that ploy works,” said Republican strategist Vincent Harris, who ran the digital campaigns for the GOP presidential bids of Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich. “There’s no doubt this causes some conflicting messaging in terms of the campaign seeming cool and calm while sounding the alarm to their email list. This, though, is the best tactic to raise money online and grow their donor file, the largest political one in the world.”

Still, just because this is something that has always worked doesn’t mean it fits well in the new media landscape. The established method existed before the explosion of social media made it easy to turn a sad-sack, pitiful email plea into a snarky tweet to be mocked widely. In this new world, a narrowly targeted message can easily become a piece of the broader campaign’s voice.

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The potential is there for a short-term gain of new donations that could produce a long-term loss of face.

“It depends on how to define ‘works,’” said digital communications professor Anthony Rotolo at Syracuse University’s iSchool. “If the Obama campaign sends out an hysterical email, sure they’re going to raise money that way, but it’s no longer happening in a bubble. CNN or POLITICO or someone is going to pick that kind of thing up. The image of the campaign is going to suffer because those conversations aren’t happening in a vacuum. The possibility of that message bleeding over is in everybody’s hands.”

In the process, Obama’s brand could suffer.

“Years ago, it did not matter,” said Michael Robinson, a former Department of Justice and SEC spokesman whose firm, Levick Strategic Communications, advises companies on their public image. “If you were a member of the National Rifle Association or People for the American Way and you got direct mail or a phone call, it stayed between you and the candidate. But now we live in a digital world. Anything you say to anyone anywhere is everywhere.”

This attention to Obama’s Web demeanor is also evidence of how times have changed for online campaigns. Just two presidential cycles ago, John Kerry’s campaign digital strategist Michael Bassik crafted Internet messages in isolation, and they rarely gained notice from anyone beyond their intended targets.

“We had [President George W.] Bush on a horse and Kerry on the ground and there was a lasso, and Kerry was lassoing Bush off the horse with a message to please donate $25 today,” recalled Bassik of one animated banner ad. “It was a completely funny disconnect between the imagery of the traditional and digital.”

Not anymore. The problem for strategists, however, is how to know when the online fundraising messages taint the real-world campaign in an untenable way.

“For the first time, you’re seeing the convergence in that the social media message is different than the overall confident campaign message,” said Joe Trippi, campaign manager for Howard Dean’s highly tech-savvy 2004 presidential run. “This may be the first time you can actually see it, so there’s no way to know how one will impact the other.”

Readers' Comments (15)

I can just imagine what $1 billion (the money he'll probably raise) would do for the kids in the South Side of Chicago, where Obama was community organizer.

And this guy has the nerve to tell us that Romney is not qualified to be president because tax returns are important....if they were, his top cabinet position (Treasury) should have not been filled with someone who admittedly cheated on his taxes....Daschle (his appointee for the Department of Health), who was supposed to lead his "signature" ACA bill, also cheated on his tax returns....

unfortunately it's not all his fault, the Romney campaign does not seem to be much better....and they will also raise $1 Billion

I can just imagine what $1 billion (the money he'll probably raise) would do for the kids in the South Side of Chicago, where Obama was community organizer.

And this guy has the nerve to tell us that Romney is not qualified to be president because tax returns are important....if they were, his top cabinet position (Treasury) should have not been filled with someone who admittedly cheated on his taxes....Daschle (his appointee for the Department of Health), who was supposed to lead his "signature" ACA bill, also cheated on his tax returns....

unfortunately it's not all his fault, the Romney campaign does not seem to be much better....and they will also raise $1 Billion

Uh, it's called fund raising. Both sides do it. This is news? This is politically relevant? What a waste of virtual paper.

Uh...it's not about the fund raising. Some of us discern a wee bit of difference in the tone and substance of Campaign Obama 2008 and Campaign Obama 2012. The man may win re-election, but it won't be because he "inspired" anyone, not even the left who have no where else to go.

And, by the way, Obama Roanoke comments will prove to have been watershed moment. I sincerely believe that they were offensive to all hard-working Americans rather than only business owners. Admittedly, there aren't as many hard-working Americans as there use to be. But, I see a distinct path back to basics if for no other reason than the well is running dry.

Independent Moderate: You make some good points, especially about the well running dry. It has become very clear that President Obama is an economic illiterate. We've reached a new low in our lifetimes in seeing a U.S. president attack private enterprise and private initiative practically every day. We will indeed "return to basics" as you say, if the federal government keeps up its current ruinous economic policies.

As if Obama hasn't done enough to cheapen the office of President of the United States with his lies, his partisanship, his racism, his failed socialist policies pushing us ever deeper into recession, now he is turning the office into nothing but the winning prize in a $3 raffle.

But what else can he do when his administration has been such an obvious failure on every level, but to invoke pity for himself?

But the pity should not be for him. It should be for the millions who have lost their jobs because of his failed policies, and for our children and grandchildren who are going to be stuck with this onerous debt that he has run up in an attempt to use taxpayer money to buy an election.

" Anyone on the Obama For America mailing list might think the president is on the brink of a landslide ouster — or perhaps that he’s so needy he’s liable to do something drastic if you don’t fork over $3."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you settle for living in Government Controlled Poverty, $3 is a lot of money. These are the people Obama can manipulate into believing anything he says. That's his Street Community Organizer history that started when he was a street hustler at age 8.

The smart money says Obama loses and loses big. The media can only prop up Obama and the economy so long. It all comes down in September...wait and see. The economy isnt getting better its getting worse and debt is growing and the senate is taking thu-mon off because they dont want to work. Its a joke. This admin is a total disaster.

Regardless of the lies told everyday in the media, most Americans realize: 1. The banks were failing in 2009---fixed 2. -788,000 jobs lost a month Jan 2009---now positive 3. -6.4% GDP growth Q4 2008,---now positive 4. GM was going bankrupt: fixed 5. Iraq was draining the bank--fixed 6. Oil was gushing in the Gulf--fixed 7. OBL was still planning acts of terror--dead 8. Aw-laki plotting against us freely in Yemen--dead 9. Orange alert, yellow alert up till 2008 with fears of attacks and uncertainty--Alqeda now nearly afterthought 10. All of his deputies were still planning attacks--80% dead 11. The stock market was at 6500--now at 12,400 12. Insurance companies could dumped customers when they get sick--stopped 13. Credit card companies could trick customers--stopped 14. And most of all, he has recovered 4.3 million of the 8 million jobs we lost in the Bush depression.

Obama has done well give the conditions he took over, and best in areas where the Congress can not easily impede him.

The truth, in this case, is that the current occupant of the White House lies about virtually everything of importance to Americans. Barack Obama has lied about his birth, his childhood, his education, his influences and associations, his religion, his accomplishments, his policies, his true beliefs and his plans for America's future. In fact, after more than three years as president, Obama's lying has become so embarrassing and undeniable that the only defense his supporters have is to change the subject or to claim "Republicans do it too."

When all the people were running for the nomination of both parties back in 2008. And I went to each of their websites to read how they stood on the issues. Obozo's site was the ONLY one who's website required you to give a e-mail address in able to view his site. I looked at his views on many issues. He was the ONLY person to NOT have anything at all posted about his views on firearms and the second amendment everyone else Hillary, McCain etc all did. I know for a fact Obozo has stated that he believes that nobody except retired law enforcement and retired military should have a consealed weapons permit. He also has stated in the past that he believes that nobody should have a semi-auto firearm of any type. Thus far Obozo hasn't messed with our guns rights much....just many of our other rights. On July 27,2012 the United Nations is having another meeting to try to get countries to agree to a small arms treaty. The last time this happened was on GW Bush's watch. The person that W sent to that meeting told the UN that : " The United States of America will not agree to any small arms treaty that violates the second amendment and the right of the people to keep and bear arms. " and then he got up and left. Let's see how Obozo handles this issue next week. Make NO mistake the NRA ( of which I am a long time member of ) and other groups will be there and are watching what will be going on there. BTW since giving my e-mail address to Obozo's site back in 2008 I have gotten e-mails from Team Obozo damn near every week. And he is all but begging people for $3.00 everytime I check my in box !